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The differences between special project engineers and staff design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a special project engineer and a staff design engineer. Additionally, a staff design engineer has an average salary of $128,071, which is higher than the $70,934 average annual salary of a special project engineer.
The top three skills for a special project engineer include DOD, design changes and engineering support. The most important skills for a staff design engineer are architecture, RF, and CAD.
| Special Project Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $70,934 | $128,071 |
| Hourly rate | $34.10 | $61.57 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 90,999 | 154,963 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A special project engineer is in-charged in the preparation, scheduling, coordination, and monitoring of engineering projects. He/She or she should be able to establish good relationships with prospective clients to gain information on engineering requirements and delegate tasks to staff. The core skills that a special project engineer should possess include good creative ability and excellent mechanical and listening skills. Other requirements to qualify for the position include a college degree in business or mechanical engineering.
Staff design engineers are tasked to assess the efficiency of instruments, technologies, and equipment by collaborating with the engineering team to plan, design, and develop technologies efficiently. Their responsibilities include building and setting up, as wells as improving systems and procedures. They should possess strong attention to detail, good visual and spatial awareness, creativity, problem-solving, excellent verbal, written, and project management skills, and strong mathematical and IT skills to become efficient and effective staff design engineers.
Special project engineers and staff design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Special Project Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $70,934 | $128,071 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $95,000 | Between $89,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | HBO |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Technology |
There are a few differences between a special project engineer and a staff design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Special Project Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between special project engineers' and staff design engineers' demographics:
| Special Project Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.9% Female, 34.1% | Male, 75.7% Female, 24.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 23.8% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |